It is the Lord! We should hear the delight in the voice of the disciple whom Jesus loved! And then see the impetuosity of Simon Peter! These accounts of the early followers of Jesus are full of human joy and fervor - and can bring us much delight just in reading them. Jesus has returned from the dead and is showing Himself now to those who love Him.

The first reading, from the Acts of the Apostles, tells us about the joy of the apostles in proclaiming Jesus once they believed that He had truly risen from the dead. It is almost as if they cannot stop proclaiming Jesus. We are invited to look at our own lives and see if we also proclaim Jesus as risen from the dead by the way we live our faith.

The second reading, from the Book of Revelation, is a way of proclaiming that Jesus is God. These days after Easter are all about proclaiming Jesus as Lord, Jesus as God, Jesus as Savior, Jesus risen from the dead! Truly this is the heart of our faith. When we come to believe that Jesus is God, Jesus died and rose, our way of living has to change. God has become man and taken on our very being so that we can begin to live in God. That does not mean that we shall be perfect immediately, but it is the road on which we walk: He is risen, alleluia!

The Gospel of John is most likely written by the disciple whom Jesus loved and so today we have this firsthand account of Jesus appearing to his followers. Jesus heals the wounds that Peter has suffered in denying Him. Thus, the Resurrection is not just a glory story, but the story of a return which touches real people and calls them now to follow with a purified faith.

How does Jesus heal our betrayals? How do we continue to walk with Him when we know He is God and we are still sinners? We know that He will always pardon us and yet we are invited to the spiritual combat of fighting against our sins and our unfaithfulness - not to become pure in any sense except that we can love more.

Christ is risen, alleluia. Our lives are changed, alleluia! May our faith become so real and strong that we too go about proclaiming the Lord Jesus. Alleluia.

Readings of the day:
First Reading: Acts 5.28-32, 40b-41
Second Reading: Revelation 5.11-14
Gospel: John 21.1-19